Georgia football: three former Dawgs named in top 25 NFL rookies list
A recently released list of the top 25 NFL rookies of the 2018-19 season included three former Georgia football players.
Former Georgia football stars Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and Roquan Smith had fantastic rookie seasons in 2018. NFL media analyst Daniel Jermiah included each of them in his end of the year Top 25 NFL rookies of 2018 list.
The highest ranked Dawg on his list is Chubb at no. 9. Chubb ended 2018 with 996 rushing yards, but the Cleveland Browns severely underused him through the first part of the year. In the Brown’s first six games, Chubb never carried the ball more than three times in any game. In week seven, the Browns finally came to their sense, and through their final 10 outings, Chubb averaged 17.6 carries per game. He added 149 receiving yards and 10 total touchdowns. The Browns ended the season 7-8-1, not a good record, but much better than their 2017 record.
Smith made the list at no. 11 for the Chicago Bears. He made 121 tackles, eight for a loss with five sacks in his rookie year. Like Chubb, he helped lead a major turnaround for his team. Chicago went 5-11 last year and finished last in the NFC North. The Bears went worst to first this year with a 12-4 record. But they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wildcard Round. Unlike Chubb however, the Bears made sure Smith was a factor in their defense all season long.
Michel didn’t help his team turnaround as he joined a dynasty in the New England Patriots. Jeremiah ranked Michel no. 20 and said he “helped change the identity of this Patriots offense from finesse to physical.” Michel scored six touchdowns with 931 yards in the regular season, but he’s exploded in the playoffs. Michel set an NFL record for playoff touchdowns by a rookie with five trips to the end zone. In New England’s three playoff games, Michel has also gained 242 yards.
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Michel’s five playoff scores puts him in elite company. He’s currently tied with Hall of Famers Curtis Martin and Thurmond Thomas. With one score in the Super Bowl he’ll tie Gerald Riggs, Ricky Watters, and Hall of Famers Larry Csonka, Franco Harris, John Riggins and Emmitt Smith. If Michel can somehow score three touchdowns, he’ll tie fellow Bulldog Terrell Davis for the most touchdowns in NFL Postseason history with eight.